Book Johanna wasn't around much, perhaps she is like Book Jock in that she may have a bigger part in the other books I haven't read. She reminded me more of someone like Amber in the book -- while Gwyneth portrayed a more mature version. I thought she did fine in the movie, she and Johnny seemed to have the appropriate chemistry. Once again, she had a rather minor role in the movie overall. I don't know who else would have done it better.

Although Johanna had more air time in the movie, I think Gwyneth made Johanna come to life for me. I thought she was very much like the Johanna in the book. Gwyneth was not how I pictured Johanna physically. But her personality was right on for me.

I'm not sure I liked Johanna, though, in the book or the movie. She seemed too cold to me. I like that she was independent and unwavering about the moustache, but at the same time, I felt sorry for Charlie that he didn't have the freedom to grow his moustache the way he wanted to.

You can't judge a book by its cover.

The only thing that matters is the ending. It's the most important part of the story.

I must admit that I was quite sorry that there wasn't more Johanna in the book. Within moments of meeting her the whole thing between her and Charlie clicked in my head and I waited for more mink, more descriptions by Charlie of his ravishing wife. Loved the way she could rebuff him and keep him panting after her. And I loved the way Jock called her madam -- lots underneath a word like that. She was most definitely the madam in that household!

I don't know that my sense book Johanna is at all different from movie Johanna, which I would attribute to the fact that as soon as I lay eyes on Gwyneth as Johanna the two characters merged in my head. Everything about her seemed perfect to me -- the certain shade of blond, the way she smiled -- not loose, sort of polished, just struck me as right. Definitely a type of woman that would take cuddly Charlie in hand. Here's a nice line from near the end of the book:

"Oh, Charlie dearest, I meant to be unfaithful to you, out of spite I guess, but when it came to the crunch I just couldn't. Anyway, all the men were so lean and muscular and bronzed and, well, I guess I kind of got used to a cuddly guy. Oh Charlie darling, I'd love to cuddle up with you right this moment and smother you with burning kisses and eat you all up, every scrap."

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested." Sir Francis Bacon, Of Studies